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Decatur, Ill…Decatur Memorial Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™ for its Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) program by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes Decatur Memorial Hospital’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

Decatur Memorial Hospital (DMH) recently underwent a rigorous on-site survey. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated DMH for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

"In achieving Joint Commission certification, Decatur Memorial Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients with COPD," says Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. “Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Decatur Memorial Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves.”

"With Joint Commission certification, we are making a significant investment in quality on a day-to-day basis from the top down. Joint Commission accreditation provides us a framework to take our organization to the next level and helps create a culture of excellence,” says Ken Smithmier, President and CEO. “Achieving Joint Commission certification in COPD, for our organization, is a major step toward maintaining excellence and continually improving the care we provide.”

The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.

Decatur Memorial Hospital (DMH), located in Decatur, Ill., is a not-for-profit, community hospital that has been providing medical care since 1916 for the residents of Central Illinois. Today, DMH has nearly 2,300 dedicated employees and 300 physicians. DMH encompasses 12 state-of-the-art centers of excellence focusing on transforming modern medicine. DMH has been recognized two consecutive years as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospital from Truven Health Analytics, formerly the healthcare business of Thomas Reuters. For more information, call 217-876-2850.